Hunting and sporting suit

ABSTRACT

A hunting and sporting garment includes a means of concealing a user&#39;s face comprising a hood, a face covering, means for attaching the face covering and the hood so as to form the concealing means, and means for storage of the face covering. The garment further includes a lower portion having a crotch opening between the leg portions thereof, extending from the waist in the front of the lower portion to the waist in the back of the lower portion wherein the crotch opening is capable of being closed by a closure means.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to hunting and sporting garments and moreparticularly to a hunting and sporting suit which facilitates theconvenient covering of ones face and which further facilitates the safeperformance of bodily waste functions without the necessity of removingthe suit or a portion thereof.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

The present invention relates to a hunting and sporting garment which isequipped with a means for concealing a user's face comprising a hood, aface covering, means for attaching the face covering and the hood so asto form the concealing means, and means for storage of the face coveringand hood when not in use. The garment further includes a crotch openingand closure means thereby enabling a wearer of the garment toconveniently and safely perform bodily waste functions without removingthe garment or a portion thereof.

One-piece and two-piece suits, such as coveralls, snow-suits, etc. arecommonly utilized by hunters, sportsmen and women, and other outdoorsmenand women so as to provide warmth and protection from the elements.Hunters commonly wear suits with a camouflage pattern so as to concealthemselves from the bird or animal which they are hunting. Suitsintended to be used in cold weather are insulated and bulky, while suitsintended to be used in warmer weather are lighter weight and morebreathable, etc. Participants in outdoor sports such snow skiing andsnow boarding, snowmobiling, motorcycling, fishing, etc. also utilizeone-piece and two-piece suits.

Prior art hunting and sporting garments commonly incorporate means forcovering and/or concealing the face of the wearer. This is desirablewhen performing hunting activities so as to further hide oneself from abird or animal which is being hunted. Such face covering means alsoprovide additional protection from the elements, such as protection fromwind and/or blowing rain or snow.

Common face concealing means often comprise a separate garment, such asa face mask. The use of a separate garment is undesirable, as the facemask can be easily misplaced if removed while a hunting or sportingactivity is being performed. Other common face concealing means comprisea face mask that permanently is attached to the hood or neck portion ofthe hunting or sporting garment. Such prior art face concealing meansare undesirable because they are easily displaced from their idealorientation with respect to a user's face, thereby causing a user'svision to be obscured and/or cannot be removed and easily stored whennot in use.

Accordingly, there is a need for a means of covering/concealing onesface which may be removed from the face and positioned without obscuringthe vision of the wearer and stored when not in use.

Additionally, outdoor sports normally take place in locations whereaccess to formal restroom facilities is limited or non-existent, such asforests and other wooded areas, mountains, lakes, streams, rivers, openfields, etc. Further, such sports are commonly engaged in overrelatively long time periods. Therefore, the need to relive oneself ofbodily waste arises.

Difficulties in voiding bodily wastes are inherent in prior art huntingand sporting suits. Generally, such garments have a bottom portion, suchas a pair of pants or similar article, generally having an opening at aseam, the seam transecting the bottom portion of the garment through thecrotch from the waistband in the back of the bottom portion of thegarment to the waistband in the front of the bottom portion of thegarment. The opening is generally closeable by a closure means such as azipper, a set of buttons, hook and loop means such as VELCRO®, or othersuitable closure. The opening is typically located in the front of thetransecting seam between the waistband and a point forward of the centerpoint of the transecting seam.

The location of the opening in prior art hunting and sporting garmentsallows men to perform bodily waste functions, such as urination, withoutremoving the garment or a portion thereof. However, the location of theopening is inconvenient, uncomfortable, and potentially hazardous whenthe performance of other bodily waste functions, such as defecation, areattempted by men without removing the garment, and wholly inconvenient,uncomfortable, and potentially hazardous when the performance of anybodily waste function is attempted by women without removing thegarment.

In order for women to perform bodily waste functions while wearing priorart garments, or for men to perform certain bodily waste functions, itis necessary for the wearer to remove the garment or a portion thereof,substantially undressing the more private parts of the body. This isundesirable, especially in cold weather. It is further necessary for thewearer of the garment to assume an uncomfortable position in order toperform the necessary bodily function(s). The positions customarilychosen for performing such bodily functions may occasionally lead toaccidents such as unwanted soiling of the garment, loss of balance,embarrassing falls, and injury.

Accordingly, there is a need for an opening and closure system for ahunting and sporting garment that allows a wearer of the garment toconveniently and safely perform bodily waste functions withoutsignificantly undressing and without being compelled to assume aninherently uncomfortable and dangerous position.

In accordance with the present invention, a garment for hunting andsporting activities comprises a face concealing means incorporated intoan upper portion of the garment. The face concealing means includes aface mask for covering the face of the wearer of the garment. The facemask attaches to a hood portion of an upper portion of the garment byclosure means that permits the face mask to be removed from the hood andstored in a pocket of the upper portion of the garment. The closuremeans may be a zipper, a set of buttons, a hook and loop means such asVELCRO®), etc. Further, the hood may be stored within the collar portionof the upper portion of the garment.

The present invention further comprises a bottom portion. A crotch seamtransects the bottom portion from the waist band in the back of thebottom portion to the waist band in the front of the bottom portion. Anopening conforms to the contour of the crotch seam from a point behindthe center point of the transecting seam to a point located proximatelyto the waistband in the front of the bottom portion. The opening in theseam may be closed by various closure means such as a zipper, a set ofbuttons, hook and loop means such as VELCRO®, etc.

The upper portion of the garment may be separate from the lower portionof the garment or the upper and lower portions may be combined so as toform a unitary hunting and sporting garment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention may be had byreference to the following Detailed Description when taken in connectionwith the accompanying Drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the garment comprising the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the back of an upper portion of thegarment comprising the present invention showing storage of a hood;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an upper portion of the garmentcomprising the present invention showing storage of a face concealingmeans;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an upper portion of the garmentcomprising the present invention showing use of a face concealing means;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of part of an upper portion of the garmentcomprising the present invention showing use of an alternate faceconcealing means;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the garment comprising the presentinvention wherein a face concealing means is positioned so as to hang infront of the upper portion of the garment;

FIG. 7 is a frontal view of the lower portion of the garment of thepresent invention wherein an opening in a crotch seam of the garment isshown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 3-6, a hood 11of an upper portion 10 of a garment 1 of the present invention is shownattached to the upper portion 10. The hood 11 can be permanentlyattached to the upper portion 10 or it can be removably attached to theupper portion 10. Further, the hood can affixed to the upper portion 10so as to allow storage within a collar portion 15 of the upper portion10 as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 3-4, apocket 12 is shown on the front of the upper portion 10. The pocket 12can be sewn onto the outside of the upper portion 10 or alternativelycan be integrally disposed within the upper portion 10 so as to form aseamless pocket. The pocket 12 is configured so as to receive a facemask 13 portion of a face concealing means so as to store the face mask.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-5, a face concealing means comprising a facemask 13 is shown covering the face of the wearer. The face mask 13 canbe permanently attached to the upper portion 10 or it can be removablyattached to the upper portion 10. The face mask 13 attaches to the hood11 of the upper portion 10 of the garment 1 via a closure means 14 so asto form the face concealing means. The closure means 14 may be a zipper,a set of buttons, a hook and loop means such as VELCRO®, a set ofmale/female snaps, a lace and eyelet means, etc. Further, the face mask13 attaches to the upper portion 10 so as to allow it to be placed inthe pocket 12 for storage when not in use, as shown in FIG. 3.

Alternatively, the face mask 13 can be allowed to hang freely in thefront of the upper portion 10 of the garment 1. Referring to FIG. 6, theface mask 13 is displaced from the face of the wearer and is shownhanging from its point of attachment to the upper portion 10.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown the garment 1 of the presentinvention having a bottom portion 2 further comprising two leg portions3 and a crotch opening 4 located between the leg portions 3 at a seamattaching the leg portions 3 to one another. The crotch opening 4comprises a closure means 6 for closing the crotch opening 4. Theclosure means 6 may be a zipper, a set of buttons, a hook and loop meanssuch as VELCRO®, a set of male/female snaps, a lace and eyelet means,etc. A waistband 7 defines the upper limit of the bottom portion 2. Thebottom portion 2 can be attached to the upper portion 10 at thewaistband 7, or the bottom portion 2 and upper portion 10 can beseparate.

Referring to FIG. 7, utilization of the crotch opening 4 for the purposeof performing a bodily waste function is shown. The closure means 6 ofthe crotch opening 4 is shown in its open position. By utilizing theclosure means 6, a user of the garment 1 can conveniently and safelyperform necessary bodily waste functions without removing the garment 1or the bottom portion thereof.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-7, FIGS. 1 and 2 show typical utilization ofthe hunting and sporting suit of the present invention before a huntingor sporting activity is performed, for instance in a lodge, traveling ina vehicle, or when getting ready to perform a hunting or sportingactivity. FIG. 3 shows typical utilization of the hunting and sportingsuit of the present invention in situations where it is not necessary tofully cover or protect one's face, but where the user desires theadditional protection of a hood, for instance on cooler days. FIGS. 4and 5 show typical utilization of the hunting and sporting suit of thepresent invention during a hunting or sporting activity, specificallyduring situations where it is necessary to fully cover one's face toprovide concealment from an animal or bird that is being hunted or toprovide protection from the elements. FIG. 6 shows typical utilizationof the hunting and sporting suit of the present invention after ahunting or sporting activity has been performed, for instance after ananimal or bird has been harvested, during the retrieval and dressing ofa harvested animal or bird, or after another sporting activity has beenperformed, but where it is not necessary or desirable to take theadditional time to store the face mask in the pocket of the upperportion of the suit. Finally, FIG. 7 shows typical utilization of thehunting and sporting suit of the present invention during theperformance of a bodily function, for instance if one is performing ahunting or sporting activity in a remote area without restroomfacilities over a long time period.

Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated inthe accompanying Drawings and described in the foregoing Summary andDetailed Description, it will be understood that the invention is notlimited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerousrearrangements, modifications, and substitutions of parts and elementswithout departing from the spirit of the invention.

1. A garment for outdoor sporting activities comprising: an upper portion further comprising a hood attached to the upper portion, a face mask attached to the upper portion capable of forming a face concealing means upon attaching the face mask to the hood, a closure means whereby the face mask is attached to the hood, and a pocket located in the front of the upper portion for storage of the face mask when the face mask is not in use; and a bottom portion further comprising two leg portions connected by a crotch seam which transects the bottom portion from a waist band at the back of the bottom portion to the waist band at the front of the bottom portion, an opening conforming to the contour of the crotch seam from a point behind the center point of the crotch seam to a point located proximately to the waistband in the front of the bottom portion, and a closure means for closing the opening in the crotch seam.
 2. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the hood of the upper portion is removably attached to the upper portion.
 3. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the hood is attached to the upper portion so as to be disposable within a collar portion of the upper portion.
 4. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the pocket of the upper portion is sewn onto the outside of the upper portion.
 5. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the pocket of the upper portion is integrally disposed within the upper portion so as to form a seamless pocket.
 6. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the closure means of the upper portion is a zipper.
 7. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the face mask of the upper portion is detachable from the hood so as to be disposable within the pocket of the upper portion.
 8. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the face mask is removably attached to the upper portion.
 9. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the top portion and the bottom portion are attached.
 10. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the top portion and the bottom portion are not attached.
 11. The garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 1 wherein the closure means of the bottom portion is a set of buttons.
 12. A top garment for outdoor sporting activities comprising: a hood attached to the garment; a face mask attached to the garment capable of forming a face concealing means upon attaching the face mask to the hood; a closure means whereby the face mask is attached to the hood; and a pocket located in the front of the garment for storage of the face mask when the face mask is not in use.
 13. The top garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 12 wherein the hood is removably attached to the garment.
 14. The top garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 12 wherein the hood is attached to the garment so as to be disposable within a collar portion of the garment.
 15. The top garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 12 wherein the pocket is sewn onto the outside of the garment.
 16. The top garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 12 wherein the pocket is integrally disposed within the garment so as to form a seamless pocket.
 17. The top garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 12 wherein the closure means is a zipper.
 16. The top garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 11 wherein the face mask is detachable from the hood so as to be disposable within the pocket.
 17. The top garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 11 wherein the face mask is removably attached to the garment.
 19. A bottom garment for outdoor sporting activities comprising: two leg portions; a crotch seam which connects the two leg portions; a waist band, transected by the crotch seam from the back of the garment to the waist band at the front of the garment; an opening conforming to the contour of the crotch seam from a point behind a center point of the crotch seam to a point located proximately to the waistband in the front of the bottom portion; and a closure means for closing the opening in the crotch seam.
 20. The bottom garment for outdoor sporting activities of claim 19 wherein the closure means is a set of buttons. 